The present invention relates to a gutter outlet tube, and the broad objective of the invention is to provide the simplest possible, most convenient and the most secure arrangement for joining the bottom wall of a rain gutter with a downspout by means of an outlet tube.
More specifically, the objective of the invention is to provide a gutter outlet tube of one piece construction which may be formed from a simple flat metal blank into a substantially rectangular tapered body having an interlocked seam on one side wall and a flat outwardly projecting marginal flange around its top end, closely beneath which integral outstruck downwardly tapered lock lugs are formed on the four side walls of the outlet tube.
Various gutter/downspout connections are known in the prior art, and the present invention is an improvement and substantial simplification of the known prior art, rendering the invention less expensive to manufacture, easier and more convenient to install, and capable of forming a more secure and trouble-free joint between a gutter and downspout.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,078, Marzolf, discloses a downspout connection for a thick wooden gutter having a curved bottom. Because of the thickness and curvature of the gutter, the Marzolf connection requires the use of an outlet tube having a complex curved top flange and a separately formed, separately installed lower collar which must be slid upwardly on the outlet tube against the curved bottom of the gutter and into interlocking relationship with lugs formed on two opposite sides of the outlet tube. The Marzolf construction is complex, costly and more difficult to install than the present invention and lacks the one-piece construction of the invention. There is a greater chance for a loose or poor fit for the outlet tube according to Marzolf in comparison to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,582, Walek et al., discloses a gutter outlet tube having a flat upper support flange to rest on the floor of a rain gutter. Considerably below its flange, the outlet tube has separately formed spring clips attached to one pair of its side walls which yieldingly snap into aligned apertures of the adjacent downspout. The construction is expensive in that the downspout must be apertured with precision and the separately fabricated spring clips must be attached to the outlet tube by welding or the like with precision. Because of these requirements the resulting joint formed between the gutter and downspout is less secure and more subject to misalignment than the present invention. The present invention constitutes a substantial improvement on all of the known prior art particularly the above-named patents.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.